Long-term report: Is the X-Trail an unsung hero of the Nissan range?

Certain cars in the Nissan line-up have held centre stage during 2025.
The new version of the all-electric Leaf was unveiled in June, and then, during the summer, it was announced that Micra is returning to the B-segment.

That’s not the full story Nissan-wise, though – and not every car in the range is an attention-grabbing hero! One particular member of the line-up has been holding its own despite maintaining a slightly lower profile.

Step forward the Nissan X-Trail, Nissan’s largest car, with room for up to seven people and the ability to tackle all kinds of terrain with ease – that’s the theory, anyway.

We were lucky enough to have one on loan recently – albeit for a shortish spell. The model made available to us was an N-Trek variant, added to the line-up just last year.

Slotting into the X-Trail range between the N-Connecta and Tekna grades, N-Trek features design elements that enhance the model’s sense of no-nonsense, go-anywhere ability.

Nissan describes it as being robust, good-looking and well-equipped, and we would happily agree.

As well as being eminently suitable for everyday driving around town, with plenty of space for everyone and all kinds of loads, it’s aimed at daring and adventurous families with a love of the great outdoors.

No doubt, countless X-Trail owners will have been making the most of their cars over the summer, using them to go off-road, tow boats and caravans and generally have a great time during the heatwaves we’ve enjoyed.

I can’t claim to have done any of that in the brief time OW24NFV was with us – but the car was put to the test in other ways.

One drive my better half and I embarked on involved a trip to West London after I got a bee in my bonnet about seeing the band Coldplay. They performed 10 concerts at Wembley over the summer and after raiding the family piggy bank, I secured last-minute tickets for a show in the middle of the run.

The journeys there and back had the potential to be nightmarish. The traffic was chock-a-block and the rain was relentless, making it tricky to spot and avoid potholes. Everything was conspiring to make life as difficult as possible. But there’s something about being in an X-Trail that makes even the most arduous drive a breeze.

Elevated above many other road users, and behind the wheel of something with an imposing presence and bristling with a comprehensive armoury of safety features, I didn’t feel remotely stressed.

Those safety features include intelligent blind spot intervention; intelligent lane departure warning and prevention; moving object detection and intelligent around view monitor – very useful when you’re nose-to-tail in a downpour!

And the slowish progress along the streets of the capital gave us ample chance to appreciate the comfortable and spacious interior – we certainly had no shortage of room as there were just two of us in a car designed for seven, of course.

Our X-Trail comes in at £47,220 which includes a couple of optional extras: the extra two seats to take the total to seven (£1,000) and the car’s attractive paint job – a natty Champagne Silver with Black number at £520.

All in all, I loved my time with our Nissan X-Trail. It might be a bit big for my needs at the moment, but with our first grandchild recently having arrived and potentially more to come, who knows what the future may hold?

If I’m ever in the market for a seven-seat family SUV, I’ll be buying something just like this.